Don't let Me Get Me
by astra-black-malfoy
Summary: No, Hermione Weasley thought there was nothing she liked about her daughter. She couldn't help but feel like a terrible mother, where had she gone wrong? But the problem was that she hadn't gone wrong, she'd done everything right, and it was just that Rose Weasley would always be difficult.


Hermione Weasley looked at her husband nervously. They stood on the busy platform of 9 and ¾'s waiting for their children to finally arrive home. The anger hung around him like stagnate air. It was the same every year, ever since that first sorting. Things had deteriorated from bad to worse, until Hermione stopped trying to think of solutions to the problem. The outcome was always the same, flared tempers, raised voices and the echo of a slamming door. She'd never quite gotten over that guilty feeling of thinking her own child was a problem. What sort of mother tried to solve their child? She'd always been a bit helpless when it came to Rose, even in the beginning. Initially she'd put it down to being a new mother, eventually the instincts would kick in and she'd know her child's needs better than anyone. It never came. When she'd found out about her second pregnancy she'd panicked. Was she just lacking in all maternal instincts? She'd never really felt any connection to Rose, and Ron struggled even more. Neither of them could get her to quieten when she cried, she didn't laugh for them and a smile was rare occurrence. She's remembered on one particularly difficult day thinking that perhaps they'd taken the wrong baby. That another family were in the same situation, but one look at those unruly auburn curls and round blue eyes halted any thoughts of swapped babies. When Hugo came she connected instantly. Everything was easier with him. And all she could feel was relief, she wasn't a terrible mother. It was then she started to think of her child as a puzzle.

As they aged Hugo, got easier and Rose, well, Rose was always difficult. She didn't get on well with anyone in the Weasley Clan or its extended family. Was often found sitting alone with a book and even at 8 years of age her humour was slowly developing into a scathing wit. Her cousins would often argue with her and sometimes tears and tantrums were thrown. She put it down to her being different, Rose was far more intelligent than other children her age, spoke in manor that most adults would find intimidating and had a slight attitude problem even then. Hermione herself understood the cruelty of other children, decided to ignore it and hoped that once she entered Hogwarts she'd make friends and find her niche just as she had.

When she'd left for Hogwarts that first year, she'd been so excited. She'd nattered incessantly to both her parents asking far too many questions, but both Ron and Hermione couldn't be happier. It was as though she was becoming the child they both envisioned. The crocked relationship they'd always had was slowly mending. When they'd kissed her goodbye that first time, they felt nothing but joy. They're perfect little girl off to school to become the extraordinary person they knew she could be.

The news of her sorting was the first of many letters home. Hermione had always known that she'd likely be put somewhere other than Gryffindor. Ron took it well, there was a minor flash of disappointment when he'd first heard the news, but he knew the house didn't make the person and instead he wrote his congratulations to the Slytherins first Weasley. They thought she'd do well there.

The letters received that year were mostly from the Headmistress. They usually involved being informed that their perfect daughter wasn't so perfect after all. That she'd fallen in with a group of other children who could be described as nothing less than the school bullies. Their child, the one they had raised to be polite, to respect others, to be a good person had turned into everything they hated when they were in school. Ron had screamed and raved that it was the Slytherins being a bad influence, but a most informative letter from Victoria had crushed this hope. Apparently the group was a mixture of students from all the houses. Apparently Rose was one of the ringleaders.

Four years later, the letters from the headmistress had stopped. Rosie was far too intelligent to get caught now. Of course having an abundance of cousins at Hogwarts meant that her misdeeds still made it to their ears.

The sound of the train brought her from her thoughts and she rung her hands anxiously. Again, she waited. When she saw her daughter leave the train she barley recognised her. Rose had never looked that happy around them. Her smile was never so wide. She'd never seen her look so beautiful, but looks were deceiving. There was nothing beautiful about her daughter. All the virtuous things she had she used as a weapon. No, Hermione Weasley thought there was nothing she liked about her daughter. She couldn't help but feel like a terrible mother, where had she gone wrong? But the problem was that she hadn't gone wrong, she'd done everything right, and it was just that Rose Weasley would always be difficult.


End file.
